When we pass from this world to the next, how will we be remembered?

That is the question Geoff Moore poses in his song written 25 years ago entitled, “When All is Said and Done.” It is sobering to reflect on the amount of time we truly have left before we die, therefore it is imperative we stop for a moment and take inventory of our lives.

What impact have we had? What purpose have we lived for? Who and what are most important in our lives? Who do we love and who loves us in return? All are powerful, introspective questions.

However, perhaps the most convicting question many of us wrestle with concerning our own mortality centers around what legacy we'll leave behind one day.

The reality is none of us knows when the clock will expire on our lives or the lives of those we love, and that can be a terrifying realization when our hope is found in anything and everything devoid of God. I am continually convicted, though, by how easily pride can tempt me to assume tomorrow is guaranteed, yet Scripture warns against such foolish thinking.

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes" (James 4:13–14). 

"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned" (Romans 12:3).

Both James and Paul present convincing arguments that the arrogance with which we live will directly impact the legacy we leave behind, because "pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). Therefore, the most intriguing question we must consider is how different our life would be if we knew the final hour of our passing, long before that day came to fruition. How would it impact our behavior for better or worse? For example:

• Would we love more unconditionally? 

• Would we resolve conflict quicker? 

• Would we guard our tongue better toward our spouse and/or children?

• Would we allow frivolous insecurities, fears and annoyances to consume our attention?

• Would we forgive others without hesitation?

• Would we seek restitution with those we've sinned against?

• Would we live unashamed of standing firm on God's Holy Word?

• Would we boldly talk to others about the sacrificial love Jesus poured out for our salvation?

• Would we endure persecution for our faith with joy and thanksgiving to God?

OR...

• Would fear of death overwhelm us due to not knowing where we'll end up eternally? 

• Would self-indulgence overcome our mind with endless opportunities to exhaust all the pleasures this world has to offer?

• Would we ignore, minimize or justify sin to our benefit?

• Would we simply lose our motivation to live? 

• Would depression become a stronghold, rendering us incapacitated and hopeless?

• Would anger consume our attitude toward God?

• Would we distance ourselves from those we love?

• Would suicide tempt us to end our misery and suffering?

The sad truth is "knowing" our final hour would bait us into believing we are in some way equal to God, just as Adam and Eve assumed in the garden of Eden when they ate the forbidden fruit. Why? Because knowledge is power, and sometimes temptation is far too enticing and pleasing to the eye to resist. Yet Scripture warns, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7).

Truthfully, we can be blessed with all this world has to offer, but if we do not have reverent fear of the Lord and a personal relationship with Him, we will pridefully live independent from His grace striving after the wind. The life of Solomon attests to that truth.

For after exhausting all the superficial desires of the heart man could ever aspire to consume, Solomon concluded, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14).

In other words, nothing else matters except submission and obedience to our Father in heaven who is judge and jury on our day of reckoning, because He is the author of life and safe-keeper of our souls if we trust in His Spirit, His Word, and His Son, Jesus Christ.

The sobering reality is that "we must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast" (2 Samuel 14:14). What an amazing promise! We know one day we will meet our Maker. And for those of us who surrender our personal will for the sake of the Gospel, life will not end when we breathe our last because heaven awaits the saints of God.

"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom'" (Matthew 16:24–28).

Knowing this absolute truth, how will we respond? Will we embrace the moment, surrender our lives to God, and choose to walk in righteousness for His glory? Or will we reject His provision and chase after the wind for fulfillment in anything and everything devoid of God?

I have long held the belief that Ecclesiastes (yes, Ecclesiastes!) is perhaps the most affirming and encouraging book in the Bible, despite all the declarations of "Vanity!" Solomon makes throughout its chapters. Keep in mind, Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived and had infinite resources at his disposal, to which he exhausted them all in search of fulfillment.

But in the end, Solomon did us an immeasurable favor by making all the mistakes we would ever dream of making ourselves. Therefore, it is such an encouragement to read Ecclesiastes and be reminded that nothing apart from God will ever satisfy us.

Perhaps the most enlightening series of devotions I have ever written was two years ago when I studied the entire book of Ecclesiastes and bathed in the wisdom of its chapters. Why? Because the perspective Solomon provides is immeasurable and allows us the opportunity to learn from his mistakes without suffering the consequences ourselves.

Like younger siblings who learn from the good and bad choices their older brothers and sisters make, we have been given a priceless gift of wisdom from Solomon which cannot be undervalued. Therefore, will we reject the wisdom provided to us in Scripture or embrace the power of knowing a life fulfilled is one lived in communion with God, not apart from Him?

"And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he (Jesus) said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.' And he said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power'" (Mark 8:34–38, 9:1).

What I love most about the song, When All is Said and Done, is how our legacy as followers of Christ should be summed up. In humility, it begins with a self-examination of choices made through the years, then reflects upon the personal impact of love, faithfulness and truth, made during that lifetime.

LYRICS: "When the music fades into the past, when my days of life are through, what will be remembered of where I've come when all is said and done? Will they say I loved my family, that I was a faithful friend, that I lived to tell of God's own Son when all is said and done?"

I am convicted when I listen to these lyrics that my purpose in life is much simpler than I make it out to be. In other words, I tend to get caught up in the peripheral functions and duties of life and consequently lose focus of what's most important, just as those in Jesus' day did as well. 

"'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?' And he (Jesus) said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets'" (Matthew 22:36–40).

Jesus reminds us that RELATIONSHIP is the cornerstone to fulfillment this side of heaven, first with God, then with one another. Spouse, children, parents, siblings, extended family, friends, co-workers, strangers, enemies—it doesn't matter who we define as our neighbor.

We are simply instructed to love God first and foremost, and love others just as much as we love ourselves (which is tremendous, if we think about it). If we do that, we will leave a far greater legacy than we could ever imagine when we leave this earth. The next line of the song focuses on our motivation throughout this life, because we are called to live with purpose in servitude to Jesus.

LYRICS: "How I've longed to see the hour, when I would hear that trumpet sound, and rise to see my Savior's face. See Him smile and say, 'Well done.'"

The notion that Christ would acknowledge our faithfulness through the test of time is the ultimate reward we long for as Christians, but there is a stern warning attached to that message as well if we abandon our first love. Matthew 25:14-30 details the "Parable of the Talents" Jesus gave to those who wondered what the kingdom of heaven would be like.

To summarize, three servants are entrusted with various amounts of money and expected to invest wisely in order to provide a profitable return on their master's investment. Two of them did as instructed, to which their master declared, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:21).

However, one servant chose not to invest his master's money, but dug a hole in the ground so he could keep it safe and return it accordingly. In other words, he took no risk and remained complacent with what he had been entrusted and commissioned to do.

How prophetic of many who sit in the pews of our churches today! Whether out of arrogance, pride or self-righteousness, we assume we know better or that our eternal future is sealed. So we hunker down and camp out in the valley of indifference and self-preservation without sacrificing a single thing for God despite all He sacrificed for us.

I dare say if that servant had attempted to invest wisely yet failed yielding a return, his master would have affirmed his effort nonetheless and welcomed him into the kingdom, regardless of the outcome. Unfortunately, that was not the case either.

Thus the master decried, "You wicked and slothful servant!...Take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth?" (Matthew 25:25, 28–30).

LYRICS: "You can forget my name and the songs I've sung, every rhyme and every tune. But remember the truth of Jesus' love when all is said and done, when all is said and done."

As Christians, how we'll be remembered when we die is 100% dependent on how willing we are to elevate the name of Jesus in every aspect of our lives. In other words, "He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all" (John 3:30–31).

Therefore, our legacy should unequivocally be identified by the prominence and position of God in our lives, as opposed to the list of accomplishments and accolades we receive during our lifetime. For when God is first and foremost to us, our behavior changes.

No longer are we bound by the works of the flesh, but our character and countenance are evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit, which testifies to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another" (Galatians 5:16–26).

The moment we recognize how infinitely precious we are to God despite how insignificant we truly are as sinful people, the name of Jesus is glorified. And when we glorify the name of Jesus above our own, our legacy becomes more profound to those around us because we're no longer living for ourselves.

Make no mistake, secular culture would entice us to believe the riches and pleasures of this world far surpass anything which awaits us in heaven, but Jesus exhorts, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19–21).

In the end, our hearts will testify for or against us on our day of reckoning—whether we spent our lifetime consumed by the world or in surrender to the love of Jesus by advancing His eternal kingdom.

As for me, I am determined to remain discontent with my efforts to live for righteousness that I may guard against complacency and indifference toward those who desperately need to hear the Gospel message spoken from my lips or written by my hands.

More importantly, may they witness God's transforming grace and mercy lived out in my application of His Word, for how will the world know Jesus personally if my life does not reflect His unconditional love? Therefore, may the legacy I leave emulate Paul's in humble and faithful servitude to the Lord (despite my shortcomings) till my dying day, to the praise and glory of His Holy name, not mine.

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:6–8).